Downward feed time control toaster



R. w. SHENTON 1 Donimm FEE!) man: cqurnour'onsrsn Filed Jux;e 21, 1933 4Sheets-Sheei: 3

Patented Apr. 17, 1934.

UNITEU STATE'S DOWNWARD mnnrmm common ronsrxm Ralph w. Shenton, ShakerHeig11ts, onm Application June 21, 1933, Serial N0. 676,935

7 Claims.

inventionrelates to automatic electric toasters, particularly of adownward feed time control type which progressively toasts bread by atravelling electric heating element, which element is in operativerelati on to the bread to be toasted, and travels at a deslred andcontrolled velocity to produce toast of a desired quality.

An object df the invention is to provide a toaster having a compacttravelling heetting elew ment, which element will produce a travellingintense zone 01 heat, the bread to be toasted being progressivelysubjected to the influence 01 the travelling heat zone. f

A further object isto provide a toaster having a travelling heat zone,the movement cf which may be desirably controlled, depending upon thecharacteristics of the bread being toasted, and also on the degree oftoasting desired. A-further object is to provide a toaster in whic arelatively narrow travelling zone of intense heat may be applied to thebread for a. short time, thereby shortening the period required to'produce a desired degree of toastirig.

A further object is to pro'vide a toaster in which a relatively smallamount of electric energy is consumed.

Other objects cf the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart upon reading the specification.

In the accompanyi ng drawing5,

Fig. 1 is a side elev'ation 01 one type of toaster showing thetravelling heating element above the slice cf breadto be toasted;

Fig. 2 is a. similar view showing the heating element about half Waydown with the upper part of the bread. toasted;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the heating element at the bottom withthe bread cbmpletely toasted;

Fig. 4 is an end view in elevation showing a multiple toaster, with theheating element part way down, and showing a. broken view f the heatingelement, exp0sing one type of heating wne;

Fig. 5 is an end view from the right of Fig. 2, wi th the heatingelement part way down, and showing an interior view of a. clock-workmach anism;

Fig. 6 is a side view on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5,

0 showing the rack, and a gear wheel meshing therewith, and also onetype of escapement feed;

Fig. 7 is a side view in elevation 01 a further type of multipletoaster, in which the slices of bread 1:0 be toasted. are placed oneabove the other;

Fig. 8 shows a, broken view of a type of heating element in which aplurality of heating wires are used to procluce an in'creasedtemperature;

Fig. 9 is a. side viewin elevation partly broken,

of a further type 01 toaster in which the heating element is fed.downward by a positively drivenwurm;

Flg. 10 is a top view 01 Fig. 9, and

Fig. 11 is 9, broken view of Fig. 9, showing a detail of the springlatch which engages the wurm.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, upon a. suitable base 1- is supported a, guide2provided with a rack 3. Upon the guide 2 is a movable bracket 4supporting the feeding device 5, enclosed in a casing 6, a;nd providedwith an adjustable pendulum l, er the usual adjustable hair spring, tocontrol the velocity of downward travel. In the illustrations,

an ordinary type ofmetronome movement is used for the clock workrnovable feed 5, but any other type of controllable feed could besubstituted for the metronome. The pendulum 7 is provided with an arm 8,which carries an adjustable weight 10, shown in a dotted position at 10;the upward er downward adjustment of the weight 10 on the arm 8controlling the beat of the pendulum. The bracket 4, slidably mounted onthe guide 2, the feeding device 5., ancl the heating element 12,collectively constitute a weight which tends to slide down the .guide.The feeding device is provided with a gear wheel 15, Fig. 6,

which (angages the rack 3, the gea wheel being' a part 015 a clockmovement whichis controlled'by any one of a.standarcl type of clockescapement movements, for example, by a p1llet 16, and a scape Wheel 17;this movement is common in many standard types 01 'clocks and itsfurther description and illustration are not considered to be necessary.The oscillation of the pendulum 7, Fig. 2, controls the frequency of themovement of the escapement, ancl thereby adjustably controls thedownward feed of the heating element 12.

The heating element 12 is provided with channels- 18 Fig. 4, made forexample of porcelain, in which are placecl one or more heating wires 19,

19, Fig. 8, and the channels spaced suificiently to nass a slice ofbread 13 supported by the-bread holder 14 during the downward travel ofthe heating element. The'heat from the wires 19, 19', is

radiated and reflected directly upon the adjacent bread and toasts thesame, the bread being toasted both by r adiated and reflected heat, andalso by the hot convection currents of heated air which naturally ascendin contact with the sides thereof. Above the refractory channels 18 maybe placed fiaps 22, Figs. 4, 9, and 10, loosely hlnged at 23 upon theupper s1irface o1 the heating element 12, and which rest loosely againstthe sides of the bread providing an oven to receive heated air andthereby still further add to the toasting of the bread. As the heatingelement 12 descends, successive areas .or zones of the bread are toastedas shown in Fig. 2, and when the he ating v element 12 reaches the bottom es shown in Fig.

3, the bread is completely toasted. Upon reaching the bottom the stop=25, Figs. 5, and 9, presses against a suitable s witch, for example, aspring- 5 retracted mercury switch 27, tilting the Same and breaking thecircuit. The bread may now be removed and a new slice inserted, theheating element then raised by the handle 30 and the toasting operationrepeated. Suitable wires 24 lead from the heating element 12 'to themrcury switch 27, and then to the us1ial contact plu'g 29.

In Fig. 4 is shown a multiple toastercpable of toasting three slices ofbread at one -operation. The heating element 12 is provided with threesets 15 of heating wires, one set adjacent e'ach slice 01 bread, theheating element being supported upon the bracket 4 as in Fig. 1. In Fig.7, the bread holder 14 is elongated to hold a plurality of slices ofbread 13 one above the other. 'I'he operation 201 is otherwise the sameas described under Fig. 1.

In F'ig. 8 is shown a heating element eontaining a plurality of heatingwires 19, permitting the generation of an intense amount of heat, andthereby shortening the time of toasting. Heating elements of the typesshown herein in Fige. 1. and 8 are .dapted to generate relativlsrintense amounts of heat, andetfect very rapid toasting.

A toaster of the type shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, consuming' about twohundred watts of electric en'ergy, produced very satisfactory toast in aperiod of time favorably corriparable to that required by several of thestandard types of. toasters consuming about six hundred watts.Accordingly, a three slice toaster of the type desoribed herein could bemade to consume about the same amount of electric energy as a standai:cltype single slice toaster.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11, upon a base 1 ismotmted a suitable small variable speed motor 35, controlled forexample, by a resistance'28, the shaft of which drives the bevel .gears36, 37; to the latter of which is secured the vertical worm 38. Looselysliding upon the warm 38 and guide bar 41 is the bracket 40 providedwith a, smooth boxe through which the worm nasses, and upon the bracketis mounted the beating element 12. Projecting from the bracket 40 is asuitable tubular handle through which may pass the wires-51. Mountedupon the handle 50 A 50 is the spring controlled latch 43, adapted toengage the wenn 38, and provided with the fixed washer 44 and spring 45'which latter presses against the stop 47. T0 operate this modification,the resistance 28 will be adjusted to a. desired motor speed, the latch43 is.withdrawn fro m engagement with the warm 33 by the latch handle46, the heatin'g element 12 raised by the handle 50 to the top, and thelatch released, whereupon the latoh 'engages the wurm 38, the rotationcf the latter feeds the heating element downwards and toasts the bread.Upon reaching' the bottom, the 111g 25 actua tes the mercury switch 27,breaking the circuit and stopping the motor. 'I'his positive feed typemay also be used with the multiple toasters shown in Figs. 4 and 7.

I claim:

1. A toaster comprising a bread holder, a movable heating element inoperative relation to said bread holder, a support for said heatingelement,

mechanisrri to move said heating element along said support, saidmechanism secured to said heating element, a racl; 011 said support, apinion in saidmechanism, said pinion adapted to engage element body,motor driven mechanism to move said rack, and means 130 adjustablycontrol the velocity of movement 01 said heating. element along saidsupport.

- -2. A toaster comprising a, bread holder, a movable heating element inoperative relation to said 81 bread holder, a support for said heatingelement, a clock work movement to move said heating element along saidsupport, said mechanism secured to said heating element, a rack on saidsupport, a pinion in said mechanism, said pinion adapted 81 to engagesaid rack, and an adjustable pendulum to adjustably control the velocityo1 movement' 01 said heating element along said support.

3. A toaster comprising a bread holder, a movable heating element inoperative relation to said 91 bread holder, a support.for said heatingelement, means to move said hea.ting element along said support,said"heating element comprisinga refractory chahnel, a heating wire insaid channel, said channel construeted to direct heat rays 91 as arelatively narrow band upon bread to be toasted, and hinged fiaps aboveaid heating element a dapted to rest against the bread to provide acha'mber to receive heated air Irom saidheating element.

4. A toaster comprising a plurality o! spaced bread holders, a bank 01movable: heating elements, a support for said bank ot heating elerhents,said heating elements interlaced with and in operative relation to saidbread holders a clock work movement to progressively move said bank ofheating elements, means to control the rate 01 movement of said Dank ofheating elements, and hinged flaps above said heating elements adaptedto rest against the bread to provide a. chamber receive heated air fromsaid heating element.

5. A toaster comprising a bread holder, a movable heating element bodyin operative relatioh to said bread holder, a support for said heatingsaid heating element body along said support, 115

said mechanism comprising a warm ada'pted to be rotated by said motor, amovable latch attached to said heating element body adapted tooperatively engage said wurm, and meansto adjustably 1 control thevelocity of movement ef said heating elevent along said support.

6. A toaster comprising a bread holder, a movable heating element inoperative relation to said bread holder, a support for said heatingelement, motor driven means to move said heating element along saidsupport, said heating element comprising a refractory channel, a heatingwire in said channel, said Channel construeted to direct heat rays as arelatively narrow band upon bread to be toasted, and hinged flaps abovesaid heating element adapted to rest against the bread to provide achamber to receive heated air from said heating element.

7. A t-oaster comprising a. bread holder, a movable heating element bodyin operative relation to said bread holder, a support for said heatingelement body, a motor, meehanism to move said heating element body alongsaid support, said mechanism comprising a wurm adapted to be rotated bysaid motor, a movable latch attached to said 140 heating element bodyadapted to operatively engage said wenn, means to adjustably control thevelocity of movement of said heating' element along said support, and aswitch to break-an electric circuit when said movable heating element145 has completed its travel.

RALPH W. SHENTON.

